Abraham v. Taylor

[apollack]

Well, here's my report, if anyone cares:

1 - JT jabs away, is much busier. AA mostly just blocks. JT round
2 - Close round. AA lands some stiff jabs, some head shots at end, but JT pumps lots of jabs, some shots to body, a decent right uppercut hook combo, but not a whole lot of offense from either. AA mostly content to play defense and pick occasional moments to punch. Even.
3 - AA mostly defensive, but lands a few solid punches off combos to body and head. JT's punches are mostly blocked. AA round.
4 - JT way too busy for AA, who is content to play D and lash out in occasional spurts, but it is not enough because JT much more consistent. Still, neither land very solidly. JT round.
5 - AA opens up more, although not actually landing very often. JT still more consistent, especially with that peppery jab. JT pacing self and his D isn't too bad. JT lands some to body and head, but AA's punches are much harder. Still, AA not getting in very often despite the crowd going wild every time he lashes out with a hard combo. Even or slight AA.
6 - JT gets a point off for a low blow. He had landed one other earlier in the fight. Every time JT remotely goes low or to the side AA whines like a baby. AA busier now and seems more in control, though not landing solidly all that often. JT not landing, can't penetrate that tight guard of AA's. AA very good with that peekaboo guard. AA 10-8.
7 - JT still pecking away with his jab, but not landing any meaningful shots. AA lands harder, though pace still relatively slow. Mostly an outside fight, slow paced. Best AA punch in the round was a hard hook that seemed to affect JT just a bit. AA round.
8 - JT landed a good right at the start, but didn't seem to realize that he might have gotten to AA a bit. AA hands lower. JT lands more jabs. AA only lashing out here and there. JT busier and more consistent. JT round.
9 - AA rocks JT with a solid right. JT buckled and hurt but moves head and holds. AA didn't do very much to follow up, and seems content to back off and do his same old thing. AA back to his shell. He might be tired, as his output is paltry. But he loads up when he throws. AA hands are down and mouth open but knows when to lift them up when he needs to. Other than that one right, not much from him, but JT didn't do much either, content just to get through the round. AA round.
10 - JT peppers away. AA's sudden offensive lashes of punches are not landing very often. Neither find many openings, but AA more aggressive. Even or AA.
11 - JT much busier and lands more. AA less busy and not landing. AA looks a bit weary, and might be trying to conserve for end. JT round.
12 - AA does almost nothing for the entire round until he suddenly lashes out with a lead left hook that is blocked but follows in combo with a huge fast straight right to the chin that nails JT and mows him straight back to the canvas like a log. JT is stiff and literally frozen on the ground. He can't move as he is counted out. JT's corner enters ring to retire him and the ref waives the fight off, likely during the count. KO12 win for Abraham.

Personally, I think Abraham might be the most beatable of all the guys in the tournament. Kessler beats him easily. Maybe Abraham beats Froch, though I have predicted that Dirrell will beat Froch. We'll see.

[HE Grant]

I don't know where this should be posted but Froch just got such a hometown decision over Dirrell it reaks of Don King Boxing Tournament days ... what a bunch of shit ... Froch will have his head handed to him if he fights Abraham ...

[jim glen]

I said IF Froch fights like he did against Taylor then he losses, well the only difference in this fight was Dirrell DIDN'T want too fight! This what I posted over at BoxRec...

Froch is FINISHED, and here's why;

first I will say Froch DID WIN this fight... Dirrel DIDN'T WANT TO FIGHT, did nothing but hold and although he threw more punches he was rarely effective.

Froch whom I like, and had a great hope for, I'm sorry to say IS far too one dimensional, he has forgotten how to box and all he had to do from the mid rounds on was to "tuck in", go after Dirrel and way into him...

he DOESN'T know how, too one dimensional and though some of that credit goes to Dirrel's work (running scared), negative as it was Froch just didn't know what to do and I fear his run is over.

Kessler and Abraham should beat him!

[mrbig1]

I don't know where this should be posted but Froch just got such a hometown decision over Dirrell it reaks of Don King Boxing Tournament days ... what a bunch of shit ... Froch will have his head handed to him if he fights Abraham ...

I agree 100%.

[PeteLeo]

If Jermain sees the light and retires now (as I hope), what happens to his place in the tournament? Is someone who was initially left out invited in to finish, or do his projected future opponents receive byes? PeteLeo.

[gregbeyer]

crushing defeat for jermaine. i am with pete in saying he should bow out while he is still alive. to his credit he did seem better conditioned and able to go 12 other than getting clobbered with a crunching short right hand on the inside. now though it is not a question of his stamina but a question of the quality of his future life. seems like this tourney needed an alternate or two.

abraham is a dangerous puncher who does not punch enough. if he would start earlier and throw more he would be working a lost less in the long run. that straight right probably takes anyone out.

greg

[apollack]

No way any of these guys beats Kessler, IMO. I'd add guys like Sakio Bika and Librado Andrade.

If I were Taylor, I'd stay away from anyone with any kind of punch. He simply can't take it. Only guy he'd have a chance with at this point would be Dirrell because Andre isn't a big puncher. Maybe also Ward. But Kessler kills him.

I think if Kessler gets by Ward, he will win this tournament.

[Dogman_Tony]

I think Abraham ought to have been penalized for that robe--it looked like he was wearing the costume of a gay yeti without the head piece.

[TKO Tom]

I thought Jermain moved well and was punching relatively effectively in the fight.

But he doesn't fight with much imagination. He threw too many jabs and simple 1-2's. There was just no snap on his shots, no real power. As a result, Abraham just kept coming forward. He wasn't worried about Taylor's punches.

As for Taylor's future? He may want to seriously consider hanging 'em up. He was beat up last night and the knockout was as brutal as they come. I was in press row for his fight against Froch and that was brutal at the end as well.

But if he fights Ward and Dirrell in the future, which I believe he is scheduled to do, he will likely be OK.

Abraham is a serious dude, though. Very determined, very tough and strong. He's built like a bulldog. He will be tough for anyone to beat.

[HE Grant]

Taylor should retire before he ends up like Kid Paret. Enough is enough.

I really don't know much about these guys but Abraham is a strange fighter. His style reminds me most of Curly from Hard Times .. That being said, he is extremely strong, tough with a rock chin and huge power.

[gregbeyer]

dogman,

your right about that robe but what was worse was jermaine entering the ring for a fight and then having to wait thru a scorpion concert.... anyone fighting abraham in germany needs to be sure to enter the ring last. that was a bullshit freeze job.

greg

[Dogman_Tony]

Hey, Greg...I tried to blank out the scorpions concert, but it just wouldn't go away. And yeah, "bullshit freeze job" about sums it up. It'll be interesting to see if this sort of thing catches on as boxing seeks to jazz up its production. I noticed similarities between last night pre-fight spectacles and some of those preceding big MMA shows in Japan--they'd go on for a bit, but not that long.

[Kyoodle]

Anytime they broadcast a fight from Germany it has the look and feel of a Fellini film, or something that Dieter (Mike Myers) would have shot on his SNL "Sprockets" show/sketch.

From having the likes of Valuev the Giant (guy looks like a refugee from an Ed Wood flick), to the re-animated Scorpions (some of whom are starting to look disconcertingly like the animatronic Karl Lagerfeld), to the other sunken-cheeked, leather and jewelry-clad, BDSM-themed Germanic "celebrities" at ringside, to the bizarre costume that AA wore, which made him look as if he was being swallowed by a big Venus Flytrap, the whole night was one of weirdness. I only wish Hunter Thompson was still alive so he could go on assignment and cover one of these Sauerland promotions.

The only thing missing was having a "Caberet-type" ring emcee run the show.

Back to the fight: Taylor has nothing left to prove, other than how many more gigantic knockouts/concussions will he suffer before he stats walking with rounded heels and speaking with a thick tongue. He also has to have sore hands, having tatooed AA's gloves with the thousand or so jabs he seemingly landed on them all night...as if he were working a bag in the gym. When he DID try to hook off the jab he had moderate success, but it was not something he used with any regularity, unfortunately.

Abraham is a puzzling guy: had Taylor hurt on occasion but never really tried closing the deal. I think he will be tough for anyone, and I don't see him as any kind of easy fight for Kessler. With his chin, punch and cool he is going to make for a long night for his eventual fellow co-finalist.

Kyoodle

[Ron Lipton]

Funny comments, cracked me up.

Mike Meyers on Sprokets eh? LOL It's time to Dance.

Anyway, King Arthur's outfit would make the Queen for Day parade in San Francisco. I thought it was Marvin Belli come back with his outfit from the old star trek episode he was in, or Akim Tamirov from the film "The Vulture."

Looking like a Yeti is bad enough, but a "Gay Yeti," is some fashion statement, "Not that there is anything wrong with that." I literallly could not believe my eyes. Then bland plain white trunks that were coming apart at the seams front and back. The man needs a boxing tailor who is not tripping.

Jermaine Taylor must NEVER EVER fight again while he has his faculties.
Enough is enough for God's sake. Too nice a guy. He should never be allowed to fight again or there will be a tragedy.

Abraham takes too long to do the job and I cannot imagine him against a Carter, Tiger, Forentino Fernandez, Fullmer at 160lbs. He is strong and tough and looks good against today's competition but so much is missing to be called great. Lets see what happens next.

[Kyoodle]

Hey, Greg...I tried to blank out the scorpions concert, but it just wouldn't go away. And yeah, "bullshit freeze job" about sums it up. It'll be interesting to see if this sort of thing catches on as boxing seeks to jazz up its production. I noticed similarities between last night pre-fight spectacles and some of those preceding big MMA shows in Japan--they'd go on for a bit, but not that long.

Cedric Kushner really should get the credit for integrating music into his fight cards, having run a bunch of shows at the Manhattan Center in NYC ten years or so ago that featured the hottest rappers/hip hop groups of the day. The fights generally were of the record-building variety for his up and comers, but the crowd definitely was into the music, spectacle (hot broads) and ambience.

But gimmicks can never take the place of quality, well-matched fighters putting on on their wares, as Cedric and many others have and will discover in the future.

Ky

[Kyoodle]

Damn! Mr. Lipton. Your points of reference are all OVER the map, and greatly-appreciated

I remember famed defense attorney Belli's thespian turn on "ST", and I maintain that was the very first time a public figure in a serious business used show business to further his visibility and career. Nowadays we have that idiot Tom DeLay twirling around in a red toreador costume on a dancing reality show, setting U.S.-Mexico relations back 30 years, and further removing any sense of gravitas whatsoever from those who represent our national interests in the legislature.

As for AA's outfit and flimsy trunks, I swear I heard Al Certo--all the way over in Secaucus--kicking in his tv screen, LOL.

I think Abraham did take too long against Taylor, but I'll chalk that up to his never feeling threatened by JT. He seemed to KNOW that he could end it when he wanted to and wanted to create a sense of the dramatic. Unlike the commentators, who made much of AA dropping his hands at times--intimating that he was tiring, I saw it as a show of disdain for JT.

I still think Abraham is gonna be tuff, tuff, tuff, Ron.

Regards,
Ky

[Ron Lipton]

Scott,
I can't believe you remembered the Belli episode, Kudos to the old synaps.

Yeah, for sure Certo must have been in shock. I refereed some of Al's fighters and he always got along good with me at Ring 8, in the ring, and for me helping Joey Giardello. I wrote an article about the first guy to beat Joe Micelli, my buddy Nick Arcuri, who just lost his wife of 50 years. I put Nick and Joe Micelli together and they reunited and had dinner with their families, and it made me very happy. Al talked to me about that fight with Micelli.

Anyway, Arthur is as tough as they come and I never say anything bad about Armenian fighters lest my good buddy Rocky be pissed at me.
To this day including the Ali V Norton broken jaw thing, I have never seen anyone fight that long with a broken jaw like AA did, thats about as tough as they come.

[newpoppop]

Well, here's my report, if anyone cares:

9 - AA rocks JT with a solid right. JT buckled and hurt but moves head and holds. AA didn't do very much to follow up, and seems content to back off and do his same old thing. AA back to his shell. He might be tired, as his output is paltry. But he loads up when he throws. AA hands are down and mouth open but knows when to lift them up when he needs to. Other than that one right, not much from him, but JT didn't do much either, content just to get through the round. AA round.

[emphasis added]

I may have been seeing things, but it looked to this old geezer that AA followed that solid right with the right elbow. I thought I saw it on the slo-mo. It wouldn't have changed the outcome, and I hope that JT hangs 'em up.

[rocky111]

Taylor fought a fine fight. Hes a champion in my eyes and I say he can beat the other guys in the tourney including Froch in a rematch. He was in condition and athletic and threw every punch you would want with conviction and decent power. BUT he was up against a very strong guy. A tank. Hard to hurt, power in both hands, big heart, determained, smart, build like a ox. Nobodys gonna beat him in this thing. Kessler? No way he beats AA. He was scared of Calzaghe for Christs sake and put up no offense at all. Abraham would have made Joe C a very different type of night. Forget about it, I told you guys long ago this guy was made of iron. I know the type and saw it years ago in my travels to the Soviet Union. Abraham is made for pro boxing. That was a one punch ko in the last round of brutal nature against a guy who was conditioned, a real pro, and determained to make it to the limit. It was a real good fight in my eyes and it looks like a Euro winner in this tourney is likely.
Ronnie is AA was around in that era with the same kind of trainers he would be there. Hes strong and as strong as any of those guys, trust me. Take a look at his back and lats. Power man....

[bodyblow]

Funny comments, cracked me up.

Mike Meyers on Sprokets eh? LOL It's time to Dance.

Anyway, King Arthur's outfit would make the Queen for Day parade in San Francisco. I thought it was Marvin Belli come back with his outfit from the old star trek episode he was in, or Akim Tamirov from the film "The Vulture."

Looking like a Yeti is bad enough, but a "Gay Yeti," is some fashion statement, "Not that there is anything wrong with that." I literallly could not believe my eyes. Then bland plain white trunks that were coming apart at the seams front and back. The man needs a boxing tailor who is not tripping.

Jermaine Taylor must NEVER EVER fight again while he has his faculties.
Enough is enough for God's sake. Too nice a guy. He should never be allowed to fight again or there will be a tragedy.

Abraham takes too long to do the job and I cannot imagine him against a Carter, Tiger, Forentino Fernandez, Fullmer at 160lbs. He is strong and tough and looks good against today's competition but so much is missing to be called great. Lets see what happens next.

There was at least as much missing from Carter and Fernandez to be called great and even Fullmer wasnt exactly lightning in a bottle when he was hiding out in the inter-mountain region winning debatable decisions and draws. Now Dick Tiger? He would not back up a step from Abraham and would chew him up and spit him out from 160 to 175. No doubt in my mind.

[bodyblow]

BTW: Taylor has a severe concussion, short term memory loss and will be spending several days in the hospital. Chances are he will not finish the tournament.

[gregbeyer]

dan goosen is proposing an alan green - edison miranda rematch to determine a replacement should taylor back out. miranda owns a decision over green but is 0-3 against other participants in the tourney.

according to the showtime contract however they do not have to provide a replacement should a fighter be unable to finish the tourney.

if they were to use a replacement that fighter would enter with the accumulated points of the fighter they are replacing.

greg

[Punchdrunk]

JT should run from the game, hope he saved his dough. He had a good run and nothing can be taken away from him, but 3 ko losses in his last 4 fights, you have a family, dude. Walk away.
Gary

[doomeddisciple]

dan goosen is proposing an alan green - edison miranda rematch to determine a replacement should taylor back out. miranda owns a decision over green but is 0-3 against other participants in the tourney.

according to the showtime contract however they do not have to provide a replacement should a fighter be unable to finish the tourney.

if they were to use a replacement that fighter would enter with the accumulated points of the fighter they are replacing.

greg

My vote is for the winner of the Bute/Andrade rematch. Or Sakio Bikka, who would pack his bags tomorrow for that kind of opportunity.

[HE Grant]

Anyone else calling DiBella out with me and demand on his so called integrity he stop promoting Taylor before he has blood on his hands. Bad enough putting Jermain with an animal like Abraham right after Frock. Enough already.

[Crold1]

Taylor fought a fine fight. Hes a champion in my eyes and I say he can beat the other guys in the tourney including Froch in a rematch. He was in condition and athletic and threw every punch you would want with conviction and decent power. BUT he was up against a very strong guy. A tank. Hard to hurt, power in both hands, big heart, determained, smart, build like a ox. Nobodys gonna beat him in this thing. Kessler? No way he beats AA. He was scared of Calzaghe for Christs sake and put up no offense at all. Abraham would have made Joe C a very different type of night. Forget about it, I told you guys long ago this guy was made of iron. I know the type and saw it years ago in my travels to the Soviet Union. Abraham is made for pro boxing. That was a one punch ko in the last round of brutal nature against a guy who was conditioned, a real pro, and determained to make it to the limit. It was a real good fight in my eyes and it looks like a Euro winner in this tourney is likely.
Ronnie is AA was around in that era with the same kind of trainers he would be there. Hes strong and as strong as any of those guys, trust me. Take a look at his back and lats. Power man....

Love Abraham but your assessment of Cal-Kess isn't reflective, at all, of what happened. Kessler threw plenty. He had problems varying his game plan. That was a fast paced, high volume fight and he was never scared.

[prototypeofamodernmadman]

A little frustrating to watch because of the long stretches of inactivity from Abraham, but that ending literally made my jaw drop, even with Taylor's history of being stopped, it came out of nowhere, the force and speed on that shot was incredible,

Taylor's gameplan was horrible and he didn't look good at all, he pretty much did the same thing all night, dance around, classic boxing, and throw jabs and right hands at Abrahams gloves, with the occasional low blow, totally agree with everyone, if Kessler fights Abraham, he will make it look like the Librado Andrade fight, Abraham throws to wild and throws the same combo over and over, left, right to the body followed by a WIDE and wild left hook upstairs,

the problem with Jermain is he would only throw when Abraham had his hands up and was playing defense when he could have picked Abraham apart with counter shots in between those wild salvos, I see Kessler picking him apart all night,

kyoodle, I felt the same way about the camera work, it's immediately apparent that it has a much different feel than the American camera crew, much more arty,

[rocky111]

you are right that Kessler threw punches and was not scared, but he didnt show me the blood and guts attitude to win the big one. He hesitated and didnt do the one thing needed to beat a joe calzaghe-hit him hard and with big power. He couldnt have done it. Yes Abraham appears wild, but so did Mike Tyson with his powerful hooks. They look like they can be countered, but you are not taking into account the huge power of Abraham. The other guy has to cover up and theres no time to effectively counter. You have to move and box and then what? Hit his gloves? Hes a hard nut to crack and like Marciano its harder to do these things to him than it appears.
People should realize that they are watching a very very powerful guy and one who has greatness in him. In shape hes gonna be a monster to beat and you'll see this as this goes on. Dick Tiger v Art Abraham is a bout Id pay to see....

[bodyblow]

Im a big Abraham fan too Rocky. I am leaning toward him winning the tournament. However, I agree with what other people are saying here. It wasnt so much that Abraham looked good, it was that Taylor fought a stupid fight. That business about laying back and popping piss poor jabs at Abrahams guard was totally ineffective and thats ALL he did all night. Now Im not saying Abraham isnt a tough nut to crack because he is. Im just saying this fight looked like a total reversal of the early nineties where Euro fighters looked like they were mired in an amateur style and american fighters just took them into deep water and drowned them. Now its the Americans who are fighting like amateurs and the Europeans have taken a page out of our book and are kicking our ass with our own style. That being said, and you can go back and check the posts Ive made here to prove it: Taylor is garbage and I expected him to lose to Abraham. He was an overhyped media creation who was damn lucky to win the one title he got and retained it with some seriously questionable and subpar fights. After losing to a stiff like Froch I never expected him to run a gauntlet that included both Kessler and Abraham, two of the best fighters in Europe today in my estimation. Im hoping we see a Kessler-Abraham final.

[Crold1]

you are right that Kessler threw punches and was not scared, but he didnt show me the blood and guts attitude to win the big one. He hesitated and didnt do the one thing needed to beat a joe calzaghe-hit him hard and with big power. He couldnt have done it. Yes Abraham appears wild, but so did Mike Tyson with his powerful hooks. They look like they can be countered, but you are not taking into account the huge power of Abraham. The other guy has to cover up and theres no time to effectively counter. You have to move and box and then what? Hit his gloves? Hes a hard nut to crack and like Marciano its harder to do these things to him than it appears.
People should realize that they are watching a very very powerful guy and one who has greatness in him. In shape hes gonna be a monster to beat and you'll see this as this goes on. Dick Tiger v Art Abraham is a bout Id pay to see....

Disagree again...he did hit him big (particularly in the fifth) and Calzaghe was still there. He needed a plan B and didn't have one. This tourney will show if he's grown. It can also be noted that he fought with a busted right mitt from training (he showed me the surgical scar at the Garden a while back...ouch.)